CALIFORNIA BRIEFING
Customs officials say they seized 343 pounds of sea cucumbers at the San Ysidro port of entry as smugglers tried to bring the Asian culinary delicacy into the U.S. from Mexico.
Inspectors found undeclared sea cucumbers in a minivan in San Diego on Sunday afternoon.
Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Jackie Dizdul said the animals were hidden in the luggage of two Chinese citizens, a 51-year-old man and his 24-year-old son.
Sea cucumbers are eaten in soups in Asia, where they are harvested from the ocean bottom and dried.
They go for about $45 per pound in the U.S.
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